What Did Jesus Call Me? A Meditation on the Gospel for Good Shepherd Sunday

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

The Lord says, “My Sheep hear my voice…” That’s right he called you a sheep. No come on, get a little indignant with me here! The Lord is comparing us, not to the swift eagle, , the beautiful gazelle, the mighty bear, the swift horse, the mighty lion, or the clever and intelligent dog. No, he looks at us as says we’re like sheep. Hmm… While reality may hurt, the truth can liberate. For the fact is, sheep are lowly animals, but they are valuable as well. Let’s consider this Gospel in three stages: The Sign of the Sheep, the Safety of the Sheep and the Salvation of the Sheep.

I.THE SIGN OF THE SHEEP - In the text, Jesus said: “My sheep…. “ What does the Lord mean in using sheep as a sign for us? Lets consider some qualities about sheep that may help illustrate what the Lord is teaching.

1. Sheep are WAYWARD – It means that they just tend to wander off. It just grazes awhile then looks up, and looks around and says, in effect, “Where am I?” A sheep will nibble here and browse there and get lost lost, he doesn’t know how to get back to the sheep fold unless the shepherd goes and brings him back. Sheep just keep on going and don’t come back. Dogs and cats can find their way home, The horse can find the barn, But not the old sheep. It doesn’t know how to get back to the sheep fold unless the shepherd goes and brings him back.

Now don’t tell me that doesn’t describe us. All we like Sheep have gone astray, every one to his own way (Isaiah 53:6). This is how it is with us. We get easily lost. We need the sheep fold of the Church and we need the Shepherd, who is Christ, ministering through his Pope, bishops and priests. Otherwise we just wander here and there.

2. Sheep are WITLESS - That is to say they just plain dumb. Ever hear of a trained sheep? We train dogs and birds, horses and even lions. But the sheep cannot be trained!

Now we human sheep like to think we are so smart. Sure we’ve been to the moon, and we have all this technical computer stuff. But too many of us aren’t even smart enough to pray every day, get to Church on Sunday, and follow God’s basic directions for life.

We’re so witless that we even do things that KNOW harm us. Even the simplest directions from God we either confuse or get stubborn about. We cop an attitude and say “We know a few things too.” That’s right, we do know a very few things.

We’re so dumb, we think we’re smarter than God! We think we have a better way than God’s way. No that’s really dumb.

3. Sheep are WEAK- A sheep just has no way to protect himself. The mule can kick, the cat can scratch, the dog can bite, the rabbit can run, and the skunk…you know what he can do. But the old sheep? Without the care of the Shepherd and the sheep dogs, the sheep is history. The wolf comes and all he can do is stand there and get killed.

And so it is with us, if it were not for the care of Jesus the Good Shepherd, the world, the flesh and the devil have got us cornered. And if it were not for the Lord, and the power of his grace, we would be toast.

We like to think we’re strong. We have armies, we amass political power, monetary power, star-power. It all gives us the illusion that we are strong. But then the slightest temptation arises and we fall. We need the Lord and his grace and mercy or we don’t stand a chance because by our self we are weak and prone to sin.

AND YET…

4. Sheep are WORTHWHILE animals. The sheep is a valued animal. In Jesus’ day many a man counted his wealth by sheep. Sheep give meat and milk, produce lambs and wool. Shepherds made many sacrifices in Jesus’ day to breed, herd, and protect these valuable animals. And so it is with us. We may not feel worthy at times, but apparently we were worth saving because the Lord paid the price of our redemption. He saw the price, and paid it all. And not with any diminishable sum of silver and gold but with his own precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).

5. Sheep WALK together – Sheep flock together, and thus are safer. To be a solitary sheep is dangerous. It’s a good way to get devoured.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The scriptures also say Woe to the solitary man! For if he should fall, he has no one to lift him up (Eccles 4:10). Sheep are not supposed to go off on their own, neither are we.

We are called to part of a flock and to be under the care of a shepherd. Most of us realize this in a parish setting. But in the wider sense, we are under a bishop’s care and ultimately the care of the Pope who is the chief Shepherd and the Vicar of Christ, the Good Shepherd.

The Lord Jesus said there is to be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16). God wants us to be in the protection of the flock with a shepherd watching over us. An old spiritual says, “Walk together children. Don’t you get weary. There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.” Now too many like to say, “That old Pope doesn’t know this or that.” But again please consider that to wander from the care of the flock and the Shepherd is a mighty dangerous thing.

6. Sheep are WARY- Jesus says elsewhere, He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:11-14).

Sheep have the remarkable quality of knowing their master’s voice and of instinctively fearing any other voice and fleeing from it.

In this matter, real sheep are smarter than most of us. For we do not flee voices contrary to Christ. Instead we draw close and say, “Tell me more.” In fact, we spend a lot of time and money to listen to other voices. We spend huge amounts of money to buy televisions so that the enemy’s voice can influence us and our children. We spend large amounts of time with TV, radio, Internet.

Yes, we can so easily be drawn to the enemy’s voice. And not only do we NOT flee it, but we feast on it. And instead of rebuking it, we turn and rebuke the voice of God and put his Word on trial, instead of putting the world on trial.

The goal for us is to be more wary, like sheep and to recognize only one voice, that of the Lord speaking though his Church, and to flee every other voice.

II. The SAFETY OF THE SHEEP – Jesus goes on to say, hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.

Note the promises that Jesus will not be overpowered, no one can snatch from his hand. Dan 7:14 says, His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that shall not be destroyed, his kingship shall not be destroyed. In other words, the devil can’t sheep-steal, in no way can he have power over Jesus or his flock.

But it’s all predicated on what’s been said. If we want protection and safety, we have to know only Jesus’ voice and stop running after all sorts of false shepherds and voices. We have to stay with the true Shepherd, Jesus, and in the protection of the flock. You want safety? Stay in the shelter of Jesus’ shepherding.

Let us be clear on this point, no weapon waged against us can ever prosper (Isaiah 54:17). Satan cannot harm or get to any of us, UNLESS we open the door. Satan is like a dog on a leash, he can only harm us if we get too close by our own foolish decisions! Satan is a chained dog…do not stray into his range or territory!

Yet so many do! They savor pop culture, with all its darkness, click over to pornographic sites, take a steady diet of revengeful “action” movies, and watch endless commercials telling them to buy the latest product with its promises of empty fulfillment. A steady stream of polluted water and then we wonder why we are sick and weak, full of the parasites of sin.

Is it any wonder that our thinking is distorted, unbiblical, dark and foolish? At least sheep know to flee a false shepherd. What about us. Too many of us are intrigued by the ranting of false shepherds. We glamorize evil, and have our minds filled with false teaching and improper priorities.

And thus, while no one can snatch from Jesus’ hand, this is not some magical protection that prevents us from foolishly and sinfully walking away from him. And if we walk, woe to us, if we stray, our strength will fail!

Every ancient city had walls and gates to protect its citizens. But that citizen was fool who thought he could enjoy the protection of the city by journeying outside its protective walls. Yet too many Christians think they should enjoy the promises and protections of Jesus, and yet stray form the safety of the protective walls of his kingdom. It simply doesn’t work that way.

Jesus calls anyone who hears his teaching and does not follow it a fool (Matt 7:26). Fools do not enjoy protection, since wisdom is of the Kingdom but foolery is of the world, headed for destruction.

And old spiritual says, Some seek God, don’t seek him right, they pray all day and fool at night! Well, living a double life is no way to enjoy the Lord’s protection. That only comes to those who live in the protection of His Kingdom, not for those who merely visit there. The Shelter of the Shepherd is the only safe harbor.

Yet another old song says, My mother taught me how to pray. My mother taught me how to pray. So if I die and my soul be lost, it’s nobody’s fault but mine. My savior taught me how to live, My savior taught me how to live. So if I die and my soul be lost it’s nobody’s fault but mine.

Pay attention fellow sheep: do not stray from the Shepherd. He can protect you. But if you want to live a double life or open doors in your heart to Satan, understand that the protection of the Lord is only for those who desire and freely choose such protection. The Lord is not a slave owner. He is a lover who invites us to freely accept his offer of new life rooted in a loving and trusting relationship to him.

Do you know his voice? Do you know ONLY his voice? Do you run form every voice contrary to is? Or do you collect counselors who tell you what your itching ears want to hear? (cf 2 Tim 4:3).

If so, you have the protection of the Savior Jesus Christ, and nothing will ever harm you (Luke 10:19). But if you stray, be not surprised at the presence of wolves.

In deliverance ministry we look especially to the doors that the afflicted open to demons. For, unless they have opened a door does a demon have any power to be there. The key is to repent and close all doors, desiring only the care of the True Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25).

III. THE SALVATION OF THE SHEEP – The text goes on to say, I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.

Note that, for the flock of the Lord there is the gift of “eternal life.” Too many Christians equate this with some far off, distant future that they vaguely hope to attain.

But eternal life refers not only to the capacity to “live forever and never die.” It does mean this, but eternal life is so much more! It begins now. And “eternal” refers not only to length of life but toe the fulness of it.

In this sense, eternal life is now as we become ever more aware of an experience that, If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation!” (2 Cor 5:17). Of this I am a witness, being far more alive at 51, than I ever was at 21!My body ages, but soul is younger and more vibrant than ever.

And here is the promise to lay hold of of: those who are in the shepherd’s care, come, by stages to experience life more fully, to become more fully alive. Jesus our Shepherd promises us eternal life. But this does not wait till heaven, it is now. The sheep are brought to salvation, to healing, we you will accept it. If we choose freedom and the shepherd’s cares, it is ours! If we reject some or all of it, then we live apra from his care and vision and too easily savage wolves come and attack.

Are you smarter than a sheep? Do you know how to recognize the shepherd’s voice and follow only him? Or are you foolishly running after worldly advice and sinful priorities? On this Good Shepherd Sunday, strive to be a good sheep.

Yes he said it, a “sheep.” But sheep have this going for them, they recognize only their shepherd’s voice and run from any other.

Sunday Gospel Reflections

4th Sunday of Easter
Reading I: Acts 13:14,43-52 II: Rev 7:9,14-17

Gospel
John 10:27-30

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;
²⁸ and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
³⁰ I and the Father are one."

Interesting Details

The context. Jesus was at the temple in the winter, at the feast of Hanukkah, which celebrated the reconsecration of the temple in 164 BC after a Jewish revolt against the Syrian domination. In v. 24 of this chapter, the Jews asked whether Jesus was the Messiah, meaning whether he would deliver them from foreign dominion again. What Jesus said here did not satisfy them, so they wanted to stone him (v. 31).
Shepherd was a title commonly used for the king or ruler of the people in ancient Mesopotamia and also in Israel. God Himself is called the Shepherd of Israel (Gen. 48:15, Ps. 28:9, etc.)
"My sheep hear my voice" (v. 27). Few people had their own sheep-pen, so different shepherds put their sheep together in the same pen each evening. Next morning, each shepherd would call his own sheep.
"I give them eternal life" (v. 28). Jesus is a special shepherd. Not only he knows and feeds his sheep, but he also gives them eternal life; not only a life, but "have [life] to the full" (Jn 10:10).
"From my Father's hand no one can snatch away" (v. 29). This supreme power shows that the Father is God, because the souls are in God's hand (Wisdom 3:1) and no one can snatch them from God's hand (Isaiah 43:13). So Jesus is the Son of God. Furthermore, he is also God, and has the same power to protect souls.
"The Father and I are one" (v. 30). This short verse expresses clearly he unity of power and operation, and led to the 4th-century Church doctrine of one divine nature in the Trinity.
The unity in verse 30 also binds all people together: "that they may be one, even as we (Jn 17:11).

One Main Point

The Trinity binds us together in love and gives us a full, eternal life.

Reflections

Do I listen to the Lord's call so that I can follow Him and he can feed me?
Looking at my life, do I see how the Lord has fed and led me?
Am I united with all people, rich and poor, in all nations? Why, or why not?

Sunday, April 21, 2013
Fourth Sunday of Easter

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Acts 13:14, 43-52
Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5
Revelation 7:9, 14-17
John 10:27-30

If people would do for God what they do for the world, my dear people, what a great number of Christians would go to Heaven! But if you dear children, had to pass three or four hours praying in a Church, as you pass them at a dance or in a cabaret, how heavily the world would press upon you.

-- St John Vianney

Just A Minute (Listen)
Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click.

Regina Coeli

This prayer, which dates from the twelfth century, is substituted for the Angelus during Easter Season.

In Latin

In English

Regina coeli, laetare, alleluia: Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, Alleluia,

R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Oremus: Deus qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.

R. Amen.

Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia: For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia, Has risen as He said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray: O God, who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

Saint Anselm, Bishop & Doctor of the Church

Saint Anselm,
Bishop & Doctor of the Church
Optional Memorial
April 21st

Crowning of the Virgin with Saint Anselm and other saints .
Francesco Francia (v. 1450-1517/18)

Saint Anselm was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in England. He was in the Benedictine monastery of LeBec in Normandy for around thirty years. In 1093, he became the Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of England. He is called the Father of Scholastic Theology. In his defense of the Church he suffered much, including exile. His doctrinal works are among the most noteworthy examples of theology and medieval mysticism.
Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003
Collect:
O God, who led the Bishop Saint Anselm
to seek out and teach the depths of your wisdom,
grant, we pray,
that our faith in you may so aid our understanding,
that what we believe by your command
may give delight to our hearts.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns wiht you in the unity of the Holy Spiri,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.
First Reading: Ephesians 3:14-19
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 7:21-29
"Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers.'
"Every one then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

COMMUNIUM RERUM, ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS X ON ST. ANSELM OF AOSTA, Given at Rome at St. Peter's on the Feast of St. Anselm, April 21, 1909, in the eighth year of Our Pontificate.

BENEDICT XVI, GENERAL AUDIENCE, Paul VI Audience Hall, Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saint Anselm
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Benedictine Abbey of Sant'Anselmo [St Anselm] is located on the Aventine Hill in Rome. As the headquarters of an academic institute of higher studies and of the Abbot Primate of the Confederated Benedictines it is a place that unites within it prayer, study and governance, the same three activities that were a feature of the life of the Saint to whom it is dedicated: Anselm of Aosta, the ninth anniversary of whose death occurs this year. The many initiatives promoted for this happy event, especially by the Diocese of Aosta, have highlighted the interest that this medieval thinker continues to rouse. He is also known as Anselm of Bec and Anselm of Canterbury because of the cities with which he was associated. Who is this figure to whom three places, distant from one another and located in three different nations Italy, France, England feel particularly bound? A monk with an intense spiritual life, an excellent teacher of the young, a theologian with an extraordinary capacity for speculation, a wise man of governance and an intransigent defender of libertas Ecclesiae, of the Church's freedom, Anselm is one of the eminent figures of the Middle Ages who was able to harmonize all these qualities, thanks to the profound mystical experience that always guided his thought and his action.
St Anselm was born in 1033 (or at the beginning of 1034) in Aosta, the first child of a noble family. His father was a coarse man dedicated to the pleasures of life who squandered his possessions. On the other hand, Anselm's mother was a profoundly religious woman of high moral standing (cf. Eadmer, Vita Sancti Anselmi, PL 159, col. 49). It was she, his mother, who saw to the first human and religious formation of her son whom she subsequently entrusted to the Benedictines at a priory in Aosta. Anselm, who since childhood as his biographer recounts imagined that the good Lord dwelled among the towering, snow-capped peaks of the Alps, dreamed one night that he had been invited to this splendid kingdom by God himself, who had a long and affable conversation with him and then gave him to eat "a very white bread roll" (ibid., col. 51). This dream left him with the conviction that he was called to carry out a lofty mission. At the age of 15, he asked to be admitted to the Benedictine Order but his father brought the full force of his authority to bear against him and did not even give way when his son, seriously ill and feeling close to death, begged for the religious habit as a supreme comfort. After his recovery and the premature death of his mother, Anselm went through a period of moral dissipation. He neglected his studies and, consumed by earthly passions, grew deaf to God's call. He left home and began to wander through France in search of new experiences. Three years later, having arrived in Normandy, he went to the Benedictine Abbey of Bec, attracted by the fame of Lanfranc of Pavia, the Prior. For him this was a providential meeting, crucial to the rest of his life. Under Lanfranc's guidance Anselm energetically resumed his studies and it was not long before he became not only the favourite pupil but also the teacher's confidante. His monastic vocation was rekindled and, after an attentive evaluation, at the age of 27 he entered the monastic order and was ordained a priest. Ascesis and study unfolded new horizons before him, enabling him to rediscover at a far higher level the same familiarity with God which he had had as a child.
When Lanfranc became Abbot of Caen in 1063, Anselm, after barely three years of monastic life, was named Prior of the Monastery of Bec and teacher of the cloister school, showing his gifts as a refined educator. He was not keen on authoritarian methods; he compared young people to small plants that develop better if they are not enclosed in greenhouses and granted them a "healthy" freedom. He was very demanding with himself and with others in monastic observance, but rather than imposing his discipline he strove to have it followed by persuasion. Upon the death of Abbot Herluin, the founder of the Abbey of Bec, Anselm was unanimously elected to succeed him; it was February 1079. In the meantime numerous monks had been summoned to Canterbury to bring to their brethren on the other side of the Channel the renewal that was being brought about on the continent. Their work was so well received that Lanfranc of Pavia, Abbot of Caen, became the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He asked Anselm to spend a certain period with him in order to instruct the monks and to help him in the difficult plight in which his ecclesiastical community had been left after the Norman conquest. Anselm's stay turned out to be very fruitful; he won such popularity and esteem that when Lanfranc died he was chosen to succeed him in the archiepiscopal See of Canterbury. He received his solemn episcopal consecration in December 1093.
Anselm immediately became involved in a strenuous struggle for the Church's freedom, valiantly supporting the independence of the spiritual power from the temporal. Anselm defended the Church from undue interference by political authorities, especially King William Rufus and Henry I, finding encouragement and support in the Roman Pontiff to whom he always showed courageous and cordial adherence. In 1103, this fidelity even cost him the bitterness of exile from his See of Canterbury. Moreover, it was only in 1106, when King Henry I renounced his right to the conferral of ecclesiastical offices, as well as to the collection of taxes and the confiscation of Church properties, that Anselm could return to England, where he was festively welcomed by the clergy and the people. Thus the long battle he had fought with the weapons of perseverance, pride and goodness ended happily. This holy Archbishop, who roused such deep admiration around him wherever he went, dedicated the last years of his life to the moral formation of the clergy and to intellectual research into theological topics. He died on 21 April 1109, accompanied by the words of the Gospel proclaimed in Holy Mass on that day: "You are those who have continued with me in my trials; as my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom..." (Lk 22: 28-30). So it was that the dream of the mysterious banquet he had had as a small boy, at the very beginning of his spiritual journey, found fulfilment. Jesus, who had invited him to sit at his table, welcomed Anselm upon his death into the eternal Kingdom of the Father.
"I pray, O God, to know you, to love you, that I may rejoice in you. And if I cannot attain to full joy in this life may I at least advance from day to day, until that joy shall come to the full" (Proslogion, chapter 14). This prayer enables us to understand the mystical soul of this great Saint of the Middle Ages, the founder of scholastic theology, to whom Christian tradition has given the title: "Magnificent Doctor", because he fostered an intense desire to deepen his knowledge of the divine Mysteries but in the full awareness that the quest for God is never ending, at least on this earth. The clarity and logical rigour of his thought always aimed at "raising the mind to contemplation of God" (ibid., Proemium). He states clearly that whoever intends to study theology cannot rely on his intelligence alone but must cultivate at the same time a profound experience of faith. The theologian's activity, according to St Anselm, thus develops in three stages: faith, a gift God freely offers, to be received with humility; experience, which consists in incarnating God's word in one's own daily life; and therefore true knowledge, which is never the fruit of ascetic reasoning but rather of contemplative intuition. In this regard his famous words remain more useful than ever, even today, for healthy theological research and for anyone who wishes to deepen his knowledge of the truths of faith: "I do not endeavour, O Lord, to penetrate your sublimity, for in no wise do I compare my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, that unless I believed, I should not understand" (ibid., 1).
Dear brothers and sisters, may the love of the truth and the constant thirst for God that marked St Anselm's entire existence be an incentive to every Christian to seek tirelessly an ever more intimate union with Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. In addition, may the zeal full of courage that distinguished his pastoral action and occasionally brought him misunderstanding, sorrow and even exile be an encouragement for Pastors, for consecrated people and for all the faithful to love Christ's Church, to pray, to work and to suffer for her, without ever abandoning or betraying her. May the Virgin Mother of God, for whom St Anselm had a tender, filial devotion, obtain this grace for us. "Mary, it is you whom my heart yearns to love", St Anselm wrote, "it is you whom my tongue ardently desires to praise".

Source: Vatican Website

On St. Anselm: Theologian, Teacher, Pastor
Apr 21, Feast of St Anselm, Benedictine [his life; what a follower of St Benedict accomplished]
Saint Anselm of Canterbury; Archbishop, Doctor of the Church-1033-1109 a.d.
Anselm of Canterbury
Saint Anselm of Canterbury;Archbishop,Doctor of the Church - 1033-1109 AD

Information: St. Anselm

Feast Day:	April 21
Born:	1033 at Aosta, Piedmont, Italy
Died:	21 April 1109 at Canterbury, England
Canonized:	1492 by Pope Alexander IV
Major Shrine:	Canterbury Cathedral

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Anselm

Feast Day: April 21
Born: 1033 :: Died: 1109

Anselm was born at Aosta, Piedmont in Italy to wealthy parents. He could see the Alpine Mountains from his home. As a child he was taught how to be holy and study well. When he was fifteen, Anselm tried to join a monastery in Italy but his father would not let him.

Then Anselm became sick. Soon after he got better, his mother died. He was still young and rich and clever and began to think only of having good times. He had forgotten God. But soon Anselm became bored and wanted something better, something more important.

He argued with his father and ran away to France. There he visited the holy Abbot Lanfranc of the famous monastery of Bec. Anselm became Lanfranc's very close friend and the abbot brought him to God. Then at the age of twenty-seven, Anselm decided to become a Benedictine monk.

Anselm was a warm-hearted man who loved his brother monks dearly. Even those who first disliked him soon became his friends. When he was forty-five years old he was made the abbot of Bec.

He finally had to leave Bec to become archbishop of Canterbury in England, but he told the monks that they would always live in his heart. The people of England loved and respected Anselm. But King William II treated him badly.

Anselm had to leave the country and flee into exile in 1097 and again in 1103. King William even refused to let Anselm go to Rome to see the pope for advice. But Anselm went anyway. He stayed with the pope until the king died. Then he went back to his parish in England.

Even though he had many duties that kept him very busy, St. Anselm always found time to write important books of philosophy and theology. He also wrote down the many wonderful instructions he had given the monks about God.

They were very happy about that. He used to say: "Would you like to know the secret of being happy in the monastery? Forget the world and be happy to forget it. The monastery is a real heaven on earth for those who live only for Jesus."

St. Anselm died on April 21, 1109. He was declared a great teacher or Doctor of the Church.

Catholic

Almanac:

Sunday, April 21
Liturgical Color: White
Today is the optional memorial of St. Anselm, bishop and Doctor. St. Anselm refused to recognize power of the king of England within the Church for which he suffered many years in exile. He was finally allowed to return to his diocese in 1106

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: April 21, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, lead us to a share in the joys of heaven, so that the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Spring or Summer Sunday Dinner (Sample Menu)

ACTIVITIES

Can Catholic Parents Thwart a Religious Vocation?

PRAYERS

Easter: April 21st

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Old Calendar: Third Sunday after Easter

"Jesus said: 'The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." Christ Himself is the Good Shepherd, who knows each one of His sheep, who gives His life for them and snatches them from the jaws of the marauding wolf. He is the true shepherd who fulfills Ezechiel's prophecy foretelling for Israel a shepherd from the end of time who was to deliver his people.

Christ's sheepfold is the Church. In the Church He bestows on us His life in the Sacraments, His word in the teaching that she gives us, all the riches of His grace to light up our way and uphold our steps as we go forward to our heavenly home; through her He acts as the one Shepherd of our souls. Appointed to lead the flock, Peter gave his life for those entrusted to his care, and ever since then the priestly ministry has assured the continuous presence in the Church of Him who remains the true Shepherd of our souls.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter marks the 46th World Day of Prayer for Vocations instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1964. Parishes are especially encouraged to include prayers for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the general intercessions on that day and the homily may focus on vocations. Pope Benedict XVI's message “Vocations as a Sign of Hope Founded in Faith” should be read and taken to heart.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from Acts 13:14, 43-52 and the event described takes place in the middle of St. Paul's first missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas quote Isaiah 49:6 in support of their decision to preach to the Gentiles. The Isaiah text referred to Christ, ...but now Paul and Barnabas apply it to themselves because the Messiah is "light for the Gentiles" through the preaching of the Apostles, for they are conscious of speaking in Christ's name and on his authority. — The Navarre Bible - Acts of the Apostles

The second reading is from the Book of Revelation 7:9, 14b-17. Last week we heard St. John describing his vision of the heavenly liturgy where he saw the Lamb of God in the Holy of Holies in His perpetual offering to God, the heavenly offering of Jesus Himself which we join at every Mass. Today we join St. John as he again views this heavenly liturgy and describes the Church in heaven (what we call the Church Triumphant) as it glorifies God.

The Gospel is from John 10:27-30. This Sunday is often called "Good Shepherd Sunday." Jesus intended the beautiful parable of the Good Shepherd with its many consoling truths and promises for men of every century, including the twentieth. We are all too prone to evaluate the words of the Gospel in an exclusively historical sense. The liturgy's primary aim is to portray the present, not the past, to give grace and life along with history. You must, therefore, give the parable a present day context, apply it personally. After each sentence stop and say: Christ is doing this today — and to help me. The parable brings to our attention three consoling truths: Christ gives His life for His sheep; He remains with them constantly through the bond of grace; He will not rest content until there be but one flock and one shepherd.

Now how do these points affect me personally? a) My Shepherd's death means my deliverance — why, even at this very moment of Mass, redemption's graces are flooding my soul. b) Between Christ and myself there must exist a closer intimacy than even that between brothers, relatives, or friends. c) It is through Christ's efforts that I have been brought into the fold, and He is ever striving to make me a more perfect member of His flock.

In order to realize these ends, Christ instituted His Church. This Church is His representative. There we may approach Him, there He is close to us, there He continues His presence: "I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world." Through the Church He speaks to us; in the Church flow the rivers of grace from Calvary's Cross; by means of the Church Christ seeks to become united personally with each of us. Oh, if we only would regard the Church as Christ mystically present in our midst! At this point I would like to single out two ways by which Christ fulfills His office of Shepherd in the Church, viz., through His words and through His very body.

The words He spoke will never die. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." Christ's words are as pregnant with life now as when they were first spoken. They give us the mind of our Good Shepherd as He instructs, warns, and consoles us; they are the words of a father, a mother, a brother, a friend, a judge. Once upon a time Christ's words performed miracles, they have not lost their power! "Young man, I say to you: arise. This day you shall be with Me in paradise." Treasure Christ's words most highly.

Christ's body in the Eucharist gives flesh to His words in the Gospel. Never disjoin one from the other. For together they constitute our most valuable earthly treasure, together they give us the whole Christ. What He promises in the Gospel He fulfills in the Eucharist. And thus the Mass, comprising the word and the body of Christ, brings Him completely to us. In the Gospel He says, "I am the Good Shepherd"— in the Eucharistic Sacrifice the Good Shepherd becomes present. In the Gospel He proclaims, "I lay down My life for My sheep"— in the Eucharistic Sacrifice He pours His life into our souls. In the Gospel He tells us, "I know Mine and Mine know Me"— in the Eucharistic Sacrifice He fulfills His claim: Whoever eats My flesh abides in Me and I in Him. In the Gospel He says, "Other sheep I have ... them also must I bring"—through the Eucharistic Sacrifice He builds up His flock, gathering stray sheep into the fold.

These, then, are our two greatest treasures, Christ's words and Christ's body. By embracing both we embrace our Savior whole and entire.

— The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Doctors of the Catholic Church

St Anselm is the Doctor of Scholasticism. He introduced a subtle dimension in learning to promote growth in charity and familiarity with divine love. He was the first in the church to oppose the slave trade and was a daring and adventurous soul.

This saint never gave up on his vocation despite a long delay. We can learn many precious things about freedom of choice from him. His new ideas about prayer were a first for the church; we will greatly benefit from his information about prayer if we practice or explore them because they can unite us to God in a new manner.

Our holy Benedictine made a great contribution to the church in highlighting Mary's significance and holiness. This was long before she was proclaimed the Immaculate Conception as a dogma.

Rev Rengers, OFM., Cap. writes (found in doctoral sources): Pope St. Pius X speaks approvingly and at length of St Anselms's part in fighting for the rights of the Church. He said that he could not express his own feelings better than by quoting the energetic words of St. Anselm himself: "In this world, God loves nothing more than the liberty of His Church." Rengers called Anselm the Defender of the Apostolic See and goes on to say: "The Encyclical introduces St Anselm as "Doctor Anselm of Aoata, most vigorous exponent of the Catholic truth and defender of the rights of the church, first as monk and abbot in France, and later as Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate in England." Later St. Pope X mentions that St Anselm illustrated in his life most strikingly the zeal of a good prelate and his fear of the evils that beset the souls under him. But in the grief he felt at seeing himself culpably abandoned by many, even including his brethren in the episcopate, his one great comfort was his trust in God and in the Apostolic See.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Revelation 7:9, 14-17

4th Sunday of Easter

They were … wearing white robes. (Revelation 7:9)

Jesus, I can’t wait to get to heaven and put on my white robe. It’s going to be so exciting, experiencing the greatest victory of my life—and I didn’t even do the hard part. You took care of that for me when you died on the cross!

Lord, I can’t wait to be with all of my family, my friends, and even all of my ancestors from generations past. It’s going to be so fascinating to learn about where I came from and to hear the stories of all those who have gone before me. I can’t wait to meet all the saints as well and to finally discover their ways of holiness. From the Virgin Mary all the way down to Mother Teresa and John Paul II, I want to see through their eyes what it is like to have lived in such a deep union with you, Jesus.

I can’t wait to join in the heavenly worship that is constantly going on before your throne, Lord. I wonder how similar it will be to our Sunday Mass? I wonder if the sense of joy and peace I get when my pastor lifts up the Host at Mass is anything like the joy I will experience see when I put on my white robe and stand before you, singing your praises and rejoicing in your love and glory. Lord, I can’t wait to experience this!

Most of all, Lord, I can’t wait to finally see you face-to-face. I can’t wait to thank you for coming in the flesh. I can’t wait for the day when I can throw my arms around you and thank you for dying for my sins on the cross!

Lord, I really don’t know what heaven will be like. But I do know that when we proclaim the mystery of faith at Mass today, I will say it just a bit more loudly than usual. I long for the day when I can put on my white robe and be with you forever!

“Save us, Savior of the world!”

Acts 13:14, 43-52; Psalm 100:1-3, 5; John 10:27-30

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

1. In the first reading, Luke describes the moment when St. Paul obeys God’s command and begins giving the Good News of Christ to the Gentiles. We too have been called to share the Gospel with others. With whom do you think God may be asking you to share the news of Christ? What keeps you from doing it? The reading ends with: “The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). Why do you think this was so?

2. In the Responsorial Psalm, we hear these words: “Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands: serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song” (Psalm 100:1-2). What are some of the reasons listed for this joy and gladness? Our own joy and gladness is not a shallow giddiness. Because of Christ, death’s “victory” over us has been destroyed. We will live forever in an eternal experience of the love of God our Father! What can you do to make your life a greater reflection of this expectation?

3. In John’s vision of Heaven in the Second Reading, we are told of the vast number gathered around the throne of God, “from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” God’s mercy and love is for everyone. Are there people from nations, races, or tongues you exclude from your love? What about the person who cut you off in traffic? What about a boss or co-worker or a family member? What steps can you take to reflect God’s love to these persons?

4. In the Gospel, Jesus says “my sheep hear my voice”. How good are you at hearing the voice of Jesus, our Shepherd? What practical steps can you take this week to make yourself more available to “hear” his voice?

5. Also in the Gospel, are there any more comforting and reassuring thoughts than the knowledge that we are held in the Father’s and Jesus’ hands and that no one can change that? In what way, does your daily life reflect that reality? What can you do to increase your confidence in this reality for your life?

6. The meditation opens with these words: “Jesus, I can’t wait to get to heaven and put on my white robe. It’s going to be so exciting, experiencing the greatest victory of my life—and I didn’t even do the hard part. You took care of that for me when you died on the cross!” Thanks to the redemption Jesus won for us, heaven is our inheritance, and every day brings us one step closer to our true home. How often do you think about your heavenly inheritance? In what ways does pondering this heavenly reality impact the way you live out your life on earth?

7. Take some time now to pray and ask the Lord to give you a greater faith and hope, and a greater expectancy, for the heavenly inheritance that awaits you. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as a starting point.

A Christian Pilgrim

I GIVE THEM ETERNAL LIFE

(A biblical refection on THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – April 21, 2013)

Gospel Reading: John 10:27-30

First Reading: Acts 13:14,43-52; Psalms: Ps 100:2,3,5; Second Reading: Rev 7:9,14-17

The Scripture Text

Jesus said to the Jews gathered round Him, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (Jn 10:27-30 RSV)

What comfort we can have in recognizing who we are as Christians! Jesus said that He gives us “eternal life”, that will “never perish”, and that “no one can snatch” us from His hand (Jn 10:28). How secure, confident, and even humble this statement should make us! Far from rendering us complacent – thinking we have nothing to worry about – knowing Jesus’ love should compel us to love Him back and give ourselves to Him as His grateful servants.

Imagine two teenagers in school today: one from a warm, nurturing home built on the foundation of love and faith in Christ, the other from an environment of sadness and disunity. Which of the two teenagers do you think would be more trusting of his parents and more willing to give of himself? The outside world might be chaos, but, all the same, a secure child knows he is loved. How much more, then, can we rejoice upon hearing Jesus’ promises? We can trust our God at all times, for He is always near to us, even at times when we feel distant from Him.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe – a Conventual Franciscan priest from Poland who lived in the middle of the twentieth century – surely felt the security that comes from trusting our loving God. His love for Christ and devotion to spreading the Gospel eventually led to arrest by the Nazis and imprisonment in Auschwitz. While there, he not only endured the sufferings of life in a concentration camp, but he also traded his very life so that another’s life would be spared. This is true confidence in God!

Do you know your place with Jesus? Have you heard Him tell you that He has you in the palm of His hand and that He will never let you go? This is the life that is available to us as we allow the Holy Spirit to stamp the personal, passionate love of Jesus on our hearts. Let us have the same certainty of faith that Saint Maximilian Kolbe had. He deeply understood the Father’s love for him, and even the honors of a death camp could not snuff out the fire of God in him.

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for calling me by name. I am weak and I rest my life in Your hands. Help me to trust You as You lead me in Your will. Amen.

A Christian Pilgrim

THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP

(A biblical reflection on the 4^th Sunday of Easter [Year C] – 21^st of April 2013)

First Reading: Acts 13:14,43-52; Psalms: Ps 100:2,3,5; Second Reading: Rev 7:9,14-17; Gospel Reading: Jn 10:27-30

“I’m a person not a sheep,” exclaimed a lady attending a Bible class. She told how the biblical passages referring to people as sheep always made her cringe. Some others who said they “hadn’t really thought about it before,” agreed that she made a good point. I tried to explain that the sheep and shepherd expressions (and many other scriptural verses) are poetic – not meant to be taken literally.

As the shepherd and sheep theme runs through today’s liturgy, please remember that there is no implication that we are dumb animals, blindly led by another. The Bible is truly a book of many literary styles. There is much poetry in it, meant to be interpreted by common poetic rule.

Take for example the verse, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” It’s not literally true, of course – but Jesus is like a vine as our source of life and strength; and we are like branches, being dependent on Him.

In another instance He called His apostles “fishers of men.” Literally this would be a crude image, especially if we are the fish dangling from a hook or entangled in a net. The expression simply means that they will bring many people to God, as a fisherman catches many fish. The analogy is not meant to be carried further.

In similar fashion, Jesus literally is not a shepherd and we are not sheep. But poetically He knows, loves and cares for us like a shepherd, and we trust and follow Him like sheep. The Hebrews to whom these words were addressed thought and spoke in very concrete images, and the message was clear and powerful.

The shepherd symbol applied to God has long been a favourite, for unlike most other animals the sheep voluntarily follow the shepherd rather than being chased from behind. It is also said that in ancient times the shepherd would break one leg of an unruly sheep which constantly strayed, lest it get lost or killed by predators. The shepherd then would carry the injured sheep whenever the flock moved. When the leg finally healed, the sheep would never stray again for it was now the shepherd’s pet.

Our Good Shepherd blesses us with guidance and discipline for our good, lest we stray and get lost. Jesus, in taking human flesh, accommodated Himself to our nature, language and ways. Whether it’s leading, feeding or healing, the analogy of the shepherd and his sheep is fittingly applied to the spiritual bond between the Savior and His people.

Note: Taken from Fr. James McKarns, GO TELL EVERYONE, Makati, Philippines: St. Paul Publications, 1985, pages 217-218.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 21, 2013:

“So they shook the dust from their feet…” (Acts 13:51) Some arguments just aren’t worth fighting. If you and your beloved have an ongoing disagreement, consider whether it’s time to shake the dust from your feet and let this one go.

Life on the Titanic

Pastor’s Column

4^th Sunday of Easter

April 21, 2013

“My sheep hear my voice;

I know them and they follow me.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”

John 10:27-28

In these troubling times we live in, all of us are on the great journey of life, one that really does require a good roadmap and an experienced guide to help us navigate these treacherous waters! So it is more imperative than ever that we obtain a guide we can trust, a voice we recognize, someone who knows where the safest paths in life are and help us arrive at our destination, which, of course, for every Christian, is heaven.

Jesus, of course, is this voice. We live in a very troubling, dangerous world, with (as I write this) the possibility of more war in several places, a country that at times seems to have lost its moral way, the possibility of more financial crises, and that sense of vulnerability that we all share when a terrorist attempts to harm innocent people at a place like the Boston marathon, which seemed the quintessential safe place to take one’s family.

Many competing voices threaten to drown out the voice of Christ, the Good Shepherd in our lives; voices that purport to guide us correctly, yet are not in any way grounded in the Christian ethics that form the essence of Truth that Christ has revealed to us! What can we do to insure that we pay attention to his voice, the voice of our Good Shepherd?

We get to know his voice, the true voice, partly just by making a habit of listening to him every day, and this listening is called prayer. If one were to add up all the hours many of us spend listening to or reading on the internet, social media, cell phones, TVs, tablet devices and other media, and then add up the amount of time we spend with God (this includes Mass) it might be a wonder that God can even get a word in edge-wise!

I don’t wish to write an overly gloomy column, but sometimes I imagine that we are all on the Titanic, out at sea. Each of us will have at least one encounter with an iceberg (death), and other icebergs that can profoundly affect us (falling repeatedly into grave sin comes to mind) or events out of our control (illnesses, loss of a job, a faith crisis). How many of us are busy re-arranging the deck furniture or just blithely anesthetizing ourselves in front of the computer or flat-screen instead of using our valuable and precious time to be of service to others, speaking/listening to God in prayer and doing good spiritual reading! Christ’s voice is the quiet one: we hear him in the Church, the scriptures, in prayer, in service to others, and throughout our lives if we just make room for him. Then, he will guide us safely home, even if we are on the Titanic!

Father Gary

St. Paul Center Blog

Shepherd and the Lamb: Scott Hahn Reflects on the 4th Sunday of Easter

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 04.19.13 |

Acts 13:14, 43-52
Psalm 100:1-3, 5 
Revelation 7:9,14-17  
John 10:27-30 

Israel’s mission - to be God’s instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth (see Isaiah 49:6) - is fulfilled in the Church.

By the “Word of God” that Paul and Barnabas preach in today’s First Reading, a new covenant people is being born, a people who glorify the God of Israel as the Father of them all.

The Church for all generations remains faithful to the grace of God given to the Apostles, continues their saving work.

Through the Church, the peoples of every land hear the Shepherd’s voice, and follow Him (see Luke 10:16).
The Good Shepherd of today’s Gospel is the enthroned Lamb of today’s Second Reading.  In laying down His life for His flock, the Lamb brought to pass a new Passover (see 1 Corinthians 5:7), by His blood freeing “every nation, race, people and tongue” from bondage to sin and death.

The Church is the “great multitude” John sees in his vision today. God swore to Abraham his descendants would be too numerous to count. And in the Church, as John sees, this promise is fulfilled (compare Revelation 7:9; Genesis 15:5).

The Lamb rules from the throne of God, sheltering His flock, feeding their hunger with His own Body and Blood, leading them to “springs of life-giving waters” that well up to eternal life (see John 4:14).
The Lamb is the eternal Shepherd-King, the son of David foretold by the prophets. His Church is the Kingdom of all Israel that the prophets said would be restored in an everlasting covenant (see Ezekiel 34:23-31; 37:23-28).

It is not a kingdom any tribe or nation can jealously claim as theirs alone. The Shepherd’s Word to Israel is addressed now to all lands, calling all to worship and bless His name in the heavenly Temple.

This is the delight of the Gentiles - that we can sing the song that once only Israel could sing, today’s joyful Psalm: “He made us, His we are - His people, the flock He tends.”

4th Sunday of Easter: The Shepherd's Call

"My sheep hear my voice"

Sunday readings: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/042113.cfm

Acts 13: 14, 43-52

Rev. 7: 9, 14-17

Jn 10: 27-30

Most of us have seen movies of cowboys driving cattle across vast open plains out in the west. Those of us who live out here can easily drive a few hours to more open territory where occasional cattle drives are still a part of life, albeit more advanced with the use of trucks in addition to men on horseback.

The point remains that you need a hearty group of cowboys to drive a herd of cattle in the right direction – from higher grazing in the summer to lower grazing in the winter for example. In order to keep the cattle moving, one needs to push from behind. Men on horseback ride behind or to the side of the cattle but never in front lest a stampede start and you find yourself trapped. They push from behind and remain patient as the cattle take their time wandering in herds close by each other.

Now the work of a shepherd is tamer by comparison since sheep are hardly cattle. But one clear difference is made: in order to move the sheep along, the shepherd must lead from the front – no real fear of a sheep stampede. The shepherd whistles or sings or speaks in a tone familiar to the sheep – and they follow what they hear because they come to recognize the distinct voice of their shepherd. As long as the shepherd is close by and the sheep stay relatively near to each other the danger is minimal for the shepherd is protection. If a sheep falls behind the flock or out of range of the shepherd’s familiar voice, that sheep loses the protection of both shepherd and flock.

The image of Jesus as a shepherd was well known and popular in the early Christian years. For example, there is an often seen image of the good shepherd painted on the walls of the ancient Roman catacombs. One never imagines a shepherd to be loud or rough like a cowboy might need to move those cattle along. Rather we imagine a gentle, patient and kind shepherd who is also protective. It is this image of Jesus that we find an attraction to in the scriptures. In addition, Psalm 23 is often the most quoted: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose . . .” Who could not imagine a more peaceful scene.

If we can use the example the shepherd above, then we can see that the words of Jesus are indeed linked to human experience: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me . . .” (Jn 10: 27). As the shepherd walks in front of the sheep, leading them and caring for them, so too with the risen Christ – it is his voice that we must follow. Unlike the cowboy who pushes from behind, this good shepherd leads from the front so that we might hear him call to us as he called to his own first disciples, “follow me.”

It’s interesting to note in light of our readings this Sunday, that what we normally refer to as a “flock” of sheep, can also be called a “mob” of sheep. While a flock connotes a more peaceful image, a mob conjures up a rebellious and disordered gathering. We see both this Sunday.

Our first reading from Acts of the Apostles is a bit rough. It doesn’t sound like a flock but rather a mob. Paul and Barnabas are clearly frustrated with the Jewish authorities and their rejection of the Gospel. We hear claims of “jealousy” and “violent abuse.” And Paul and Barnabas who speak out boldly with chutzpah (they were Jews after all): “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles . . .” (Acts 13: 46). But all didn’t end peacefully because a “persecution” breaks out and Paul and Barnabas are “expelled” from the synagogue - and from their Jewish audience forever.

It’s a tough scene, this rebellious mob of sheep, yet the great missionary to the gentiles as Paul is called carries on the mission entrusted to him by the Lord Jesus. This was not a flock who listened with open hearts and minds – a lesson for all of us who find ourselves saturated in a society of many voices which invite us to follow their sounds.

So, in this technical, complicated, ever so independent world, where is the voice of the Shepherd we can follow? Where it always has been: in the Church, the scriptures, in personal and liturgical prayer, in our sacramental life, in the events of our daily lives, the community of believers, the beauty of creation, and all that is true, good and beautiful. But are we listening? Do we even care to hear the voice of this shepherd who offers us his very life in return for our following?

It is interesting to note that our present Holy Father Pope Francis, a man of metaphors in his teaching, took note recently by saying that in our day we have the opposite of the parable of the one lost sheep. Today, we have 99 who are lost and one who remain with the shepherd. In other words, the evangelizing mission of the Church entrusted to all believers since the time of the Apostles, must continue.

This Good Shepherd Sunday invites us to hear the call of Christ our Shepherd who desires that we stay close to him in the Church, in the community of believers, by participation in the sacramental life of the Church. We then have the protection of the promised protection of the shepherd who guarantees: “No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10: 28-29).

We have a bond which unites us to Christ and to one another through baptism and our apostolic faith. Our gatherings each weekend for word and sacrament remind us of the flock we are a part. Is the risen Lord truly our shepherd or do we simply show up while listening to another voice? This shepherd feeds us with his very Body and Blood, this shepherd gave his life for us out of love, and this shepherd desires that not one of us be lost. If we wander from the flock we are always welcomed back into the fold through his love and mercy.

Read the entire chapter 10 of John’s Gospel to understand more fully. Reflect on Luke 15 and the overwhelming love of the Father for us. Need we say more?

Almighty ever-living God,
Lead us to a share in the joys of heaven,
So that the humble flock may reach
Where the brave Shepherd has gone before.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

(Collect of 4^th Easter)

Fr. Tim

Insight Scoop

Apocalypse How?

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, April 21st, the Fourth Sunday of Easter | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Acts 13:14, 43-52
• Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5
• Rev 7:9, 14b-17
• Jn 10:27-30

Pop quiz: which book of the Bible describes black helicopters, high-tech warfare involving Russia and China, and computer chips embedded in human flesh?

Hopefully you answered, “None.” But you may know that some Christians believe the Book of Revelation, or The Apocalypse, describes soon-to-transpire, end of the world events in harrowing detail. And most people—even many Catholics—believe that the final book of the Bible is an unremitting work of doom, gloom, and bloodshed.

John the Revelator’s book undoubtedly contains images of doom and gloom, but not for those who stand for and with Christ. And while there is plenty of bloodshed in the Book of Revelation, the good news is that the blood of the Lamb, shed for the sins of the world, cleanses those who faithfully follow the Shepherd.

In other words, today’s reading from The Apocalypse is filled with joy. It proclaims that God will not only overcome evil, He will—at the end of time as we know it—bring together all of those who love Him. The great multitude witnessed by John consists of those who have been saved through suffering, just as Savior, the slain Lamb (Rev. 5:6), brought salvation through suffering and death. “The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom,” explains the Catechism, “only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection” (CCC 677).

Those in the great multitude, from every nation, race, people, and tongue, are the Church. They make up the New Israel, which has gone through a New Exodus. While the first Exodus involved the people of Israel being saved from the tyranny of Egyptian slavery, this final Exodus consists of the people of the new covenant being saved eternally from the domination of sin and death. As Jesus states, in the reading from today’s Gospel, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (Jn. 10:28). The salvation of a multitude too large to be counted is a fulfillment of the great covenant made with Abraham: “I will make of you a great nation … All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you” (Gen. 12:2, 3; cf. Gal. 3:7, 29).

Overcoming death and establishing eternal life is a constant theme in The Apocalypse. This can be seen in the imagery throughout the book, which is bursting with allusions to the Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch and the Prophets. The idea of being made “white” through perseverance in faith is drawn from Daniel, a book used often by John: “Many shall purify themselves, and makes themselves white, and be refined” (Dan. 12:10). White robes symbolize holiness and endurance. Priests in the time of Christ were examined for purity; if they passed, they were dressed in white robes, as was the High Priest. In the new covenant, those who have been baptized into Christ, the High Priest, and who endure to the end will be saved through the sacrifice of the Lamb on the Cross.

The palm branches allude to the feast of Tabernacles (cf., Lev. 24:39-40), which celebrated the harvest of crops and commemorated God’s divine protection during the Exodus. Palm branches were also used as symbols of victory (1 Macc. 13:51; 2 Macc. 10:7). In The Apocalypse they stand for God’s victory over evil, His protection of the Church throughout the time of tribulation, and the restoration of right relationship with God, as evidenced by the songs of praise before the heavenly throne.

John’s vision is also filled with a liturgical and sacramental perspective. The great multitude worship God in His temple, which ultimately is the Person of Christ (cf., Jn 2:19-22). Being washed and made white suggests the bath of Baptism, and the lack of hunger or thirst is Eucharistic in its promise of complete joy in the presence of the Lamb.

Thus, in the end—The End!—the apocalyptic truths of the Book of Revelation don’t involve helicopters and top secret technology, but the salvation of God’s flock, His people, through the death and Resurrection of the Lamb.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the March 30, 2007, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)